Shock absorbing mount



April 1s, 1961 .H G. PYLES 2,980,373

April 18, 1961 H. G. PYLEs sHocK ABsoRBING MOUNT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. .'5I 1959 i INVENTOR Half@ fyks United SHOCK ABSRBING MOUNT Filed Nov. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 850,661

`3 Claims. (Cl. 248-15) This invention relates to improvements in mounting means, and particularly to shock absorbing means for the mounting of planetary gear systems to protect the gearing of the system.

Gear systems are frequently subjected to heavy shocks due to power surges, sudden applications of power, and any power uctuation'which will cause sudden movement of one gear, or portion of the system, relative to another. Such shocks are more severe where tbe system has play, or lost motion, as the power can build up before the impact, particularly-when the direction of movement of the system is being reversed. An instance of this is in vehicles of endless track type where a planetary gear system is used and the track chain and drive chain both are loose. When power is reversed, the slack of the entire system must be taken up before motion`V is imparted to the track. When the slack is removed, the entire power load strikes an impact blow on the gear system developing terric torque strains.

The object of the present invention is to provide a mounting which will absorb shocks of this kind to relieve the mechanism and to prevent damage to it.

Another object is to provide a mounting which will allow the gear system, or a part of it, some resiliently opposed movement so that it may move with suddenly imposed loads to minimize their efrect.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a mounting for the non-rotatable ring gear of a planetary system which will place the gear offset from its yieldable mounting so that the gear will be free to move underV impact shock but return immediately to its predetermined operative position.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of one practical embodiment thereof when taken in conjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form part of, this specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a non-rotatable internal ring gear of a planetary gear system having a mountconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the gears and mounting, taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the device, taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

In general, the invention consists in a mounting which includes a rubber torque bar supported at its ends upon a frame, and having a medially attached torque arm for attachment to the gear, or portion of a gear system, which the mounting is to support. Although the invention is described herein as being used to support a ring gear of a planetary system, the mounting may be used for the support of other structures having like problems of torque shocks.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the mount- 2,989,373 Patented Apr. 18, 1961 i Q t? which it is to be used, and a torque bar 6. Springs 4 are composed of top, bottom and central plates 7 Vof steel, and rubber blocks 8 bonded to the top and center, and center and bottom plates respectively. This provides a sandwich type pile unit in which the several plates of the unit are relatively movable due to the resiliency of the intervening rubber blocks. Each spring unit is drilled Y centrally to provide a vertical hole 9 extending completely through the unit.

The torque bar consists of a horizontally positioned torque arm 10, which lies between the sandwich units, and a vertically positioned connector bridge 11. The torque arm is a at plate, preferably of'larger outline than the spring units to provide a firm seating platform for the units. This plate is welded, or otherwise securedptothe connector bridge to form a T-shaped arm to transmit torque shock from the gear 2 to the rubber torque bar. The torque arm is drilled to provide an opening 12 to receive a mounting pin 13. The pin is welded to the arm and ground off ush with the bottom of the arm. The pin projects upwardly from the arm to extend within the opening 9 of the upper spring unit and position the unit on the torque arm. The pins 13 will be suiciently long to bridge the bottom rubber block of the upper unit and project through the bottom and central plates of the unit. This will result in the upper rubber block of the spring unit being capable of taking some stresses in shear and compression as well as torque, while the lower block may yield to compressionand torque stresses only.

The bottom bearing plate 5 is bored, similarly to the torque arm, to provide an opening 14 into which a pin 1S is iixed. Pin 15 will seat in the opening 9 of the lower spring unit in the same manner and with the same effect as pin 13 on the torque arm.

It will be obvious that when the several elements of the unit are assembled as described, and the bearing plates rigidly connected to a machine frame, by bolts through the end slots 16 of the bearing plates, the springs will be compressed and parts will be held against separation. Where, due to load shock direction, mounting conditions, etc., it is desired to use a mounting of opposite hand, the attachment of the spring units to the torque arm and bearing plates can be reversed, and the pin 13 extended downwardly from the torque arm, and the pin 15 extended downwardly from the top bearing plate 5. This will reverse the entire mounting arrangement and, of course, the action of the structure.

The ring gear 2 is mounted upon the vertical connector 11 of the torque bar by means of studs 17 fixed to a mounting plate 1S. The vertical connector fits between the pairs of ears 3 on the ring gear and is provided with openings 19 for registry with openings 20 in the mounting ears of the gear. 18 so as to enter the openings 19 and 2G of the gear and connector-cap screws 21 extend through openings 22 in the mounting plate 18 and thread into threaded openings 23 in the connector to secure the mounting plate in place and hold the studs in position in the gear ears and connector openings. This securely fixes the gear lto the torque bar.

When the mount is properly installed, and the ring gear assembly is in operation, shocks to the ring gear 2 will be primarily in torque, resulting in a tendency to turn the Studs 17 are spaced on the plateV gear 2 about its central axis.Y This Will result in tilting the vtorque arm '10 against the actions of the combined spring units. Y absorbed by. the rubber blocks, andthe resiliency of the blocks will return the arm, and gear, to normalposition `as soon as the strain is relieved. iAIt willbenobvious that bodily/movement of they gear in anyjclirection will be t cushioned by Vthejspring units through the rubber blocks. The actionrisrressentially. as though .a1 vertical rubber column Wereused with a torque armV aixed at its middle Y and :extending normal to therlength of vthebar, and the unit to -be cushioned mounted upon the ,free end of the Y torque arm. The actual arrangement disclosedrwhereinV the sandwich type spring unitsV have pin` mountings which limit, yto Van extent, complete freedom of movement of the spring units in some'directions, provides added control and a superior mounting.

The compression and torque forces will be Y each side of the torque arm at the opposite end, bearing mounting plates at the outersides offthe spring units, the spring units having central'openings extending completely therethrough, a pin mounted on the torque arm and seated in theY opening in one spring unit, and a pin mount- Y ed on one of the bearing plates and seated in the opening spring units, the spring units having central openings extending completely therethrough,r a pin mounted on the While in the above one practical,embodiment of theyY I Vinvention hasV been disclosed, it will bey understood that the precise structure shown and describedris merely for purposes of illustration, and the invention -may take other V:forms Within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: ,Y

Y 1,'A shock absorbing mount for gear'systems 'includi inga xed member comprising, atorque arm kconnected at one end to the fixed member of the gear system, a

spring unit composed of spacedgtop, bottom and central Y plates having rubber blocks bondedbetween them upon torqueV armV and seated inthe openingV in one spring` unit, and a pin mounted on one ofl the bearinggrplates and seated in the opening in the other spring unit.

References Cited in thevileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSY 1,725,523V Keys nAug. 20, 1929 1,897,014 Trott Feb. 7,'1933 1,935,179 Prear Nov. 14, 1933 2,868,040v Chamberlin e.. 'Ian. 13, 1959 

